Equalizer for drop-box looms



EQUALIZER FOR DROP BOX LOOMS 7 Filed April 28. 1926 I l/vvs/v 70/? aeorae f HINS i the drop boxes.

Patented May 1, 1928.

GEORGE E. HUTCHINS, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOB TO OROMPTON &

PATENT OFFICE.

KNOWLES LOOM WORKS, OF WORCESTEB, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

EQUALIZEB FOR DROP-BOX LOOMS.

Application filed April 28, 1926. Serial No. 105,268.

This invention relates to improvements in box looms and it is the general object of the invention to provide means for insuring uniform movement of the outer and inner ends 5 of a drop box as the same israised and lowered.

Box looms usually employ a pair of separated guides rigid with the. lay and grooved to receive projectin tongues formed with he guides are usually located at diagonally opposite ends of the boxes and the latter are raised by means of a so-called box lifter rod which derives its motion from the box lever. Thebox lifter red is usually attached to the under side of the boxes at a point intermediate the ends thereof but it is found that when the boxes are of considerable length they do not move with a parallel motion and the tongues tend to stick in their guides. Thisproduces an uneven movement of the boxes and-it is also found that the bottom of the, boxdoes not align properly with the race of the lay. It i is an important object of my present invention to provide means for insuring a straight line movement of the boxes irrespective of thelength thereof and in carrying out my inventionI provide an equalizer preferably in addition to the box actuating devices effective to check any tendency of the box to twist or cramp in the guides therefor.

It is a further object of my invention to provide rack and pinion connections for the boxes and separate the racks and also the pinions'and secure the pinions to a shaft to the end that any tendency of one end of the box to move at a different rate of speed from a the other end will be checked and the box given a substantially straight line moves inent.

It is further found that when a long shuttle is used and it is not completely boxed 1 the inner end thereof will be caught by some part of the lay as the box shifts with result- The effect of this is to throw the bottom of the box out of alignment with the race and when the shuttle is picked it will fly out of the shed. It is a further object of my invenalignment by equipping the box with an equalizer which will prevent bendin even though the shuttle be improperly box With theseand other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, my

' ant bending of the boxand the box rod.

race.

tion to prevent this bending and improper invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and set forth in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings wherein I have shown a convenient embodiment of my invention,

-Fig. 1 is a front elevation of one end of a loom having my invention applied thereto,

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical section on line 2 2 of Fig. 1, and i Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail horizontal section on line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

In illustrating my invention I have chosen to show the same as applied to the box motion of a shuttle changer such as set forth in Patent No. 1,476,847 to Ryon but it is to be understood that the invention may be applied to the usual form of drop boxes and I do not wish to be limited to the particular showing set forth in the drawings. Referring to Fig. 1 it will be seen that I have provided, a loom side 10 and a lay 11 mounted for back and forth movement about rocker pin 12 moving in a bearing 13 rigid with the frame 10. A rocker. iron 191 is secured to the rocker pin 12 and moves with the lay 11. The outer end of the rocker iron has pivotally connected thereto as at 15 a picker stick 16 actuated by any approved form of lug strap indicated at 17. The lay 11 is provided, with a hand rail 18 and reed. 19 and has projecting from the left hand end thereof aso-called lay end 20 which is provided withinner and outer box guides 21 and 22, respectively.

The box 23 set forth herein is similar to that shown in the aforesaid patent and has vertically extending inner and outer guides 24 and 25 which cooperate with guides 21 and 22, respectively. There is further provided a stand 26 having pivotally connected thereto as at 27 a binder 28 the inner end of which is movable horizontally in a guide 29 formed as part of a box mouth 30 supported by the lay and registering with the shuttle The-binder as shown is unlike the usual form of binder in that itis stationary with respect to the lay as regards vertical motion, but my invention is not limited to this form of binder. An upstanding wing 31 rigid with respectto the binder serves to expel an exhausted shuttle rearwardly over connected to a vertically movable box lever 40. It is not deemed necessary to set forth the mechanism for actuating the lever 40, it being understood that when the box 23 is to be raised the lever 40 will be moved upwardly by mechanism not shown and the boxes will move to the dotted line position shown in Fig. 1. With the exception of the forked bracket 36 the mechanism thus far described t-ions will raisethe box 23 by means of rod is of common construction.

In carrylng out my invention I provide p the lay end with a pair of depending arms and 51, respectively, and said arms are formed with bosses 52 providing a free hearing for shaft 53 which has keyed to the ends thereof pinions 54 and 55, respectively, as indicated in Fig. 3. The lay end and arms 50 and 51 are provided with grooves 56 and 57 respectively, which extend from the top of the lay end down to the bottom of the arms 50 and 51 and receive racks 58 and 59, respectively. Said racks are secured by means of bolts 60 to the box 23 and mesh with their corresponding pinions.

In operation, when the box is to be raised for any purpose the lever 40 will move upwardly and by means of intervening connec- 32. The racks 58 and 59 will therefore move upwardly in slots 56 and 57, respectively,

, and cause rotation of pinions 54 and 55, re-

spectively, and by reason of the fact that the pinions are secured to the shaft 53 the box moves upwardly with a parallel'motion despite the fact that the force to raise the same is applied by a single rod. Should the inner end of the box tend to lead the outer end the rack 58 will act on pinion 54 to rotate shaft 53 which in turn will cause acorresponding lifting of rack 59 by pinion and the tendency will be counteracted, the outer end of the box moving upwardly at the same rate as the inner end.

From the foregoing'it will be seen that I have provided an equalizer for loom boxes so 7 constructed as to insure a straight line'motion on the part of the box when the same is either rising or falling, in this way preventing twisting of the box and avoiding objec-' tionable cramping by the guides. It will also be seenthat. it is sufiicient to apply the lifting force by means of a single element, the racks and pinions cooperating to prevent any twisting which might otherwise result from the fact that a relatively long box was being raised by a single device.

Furthermore, should av shuttle be improperly-boxed on a shifting movement of the box the latter will not be bent but will move downwardly with a straight line motion and improper alignmentof thev box andirace will thus be prevented.

Having thus described my invention it will be apparent that changes and modifications may be made therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. and I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, but

what-I claim is: I

1. In a loom, a lay, a shuttle box movable with respect thereto, a plurality of members moving in unison and rotatably mounted with respect to the lay, and means moving with the box and having driving connection with the rotatable members to cause. both ends of said box tohave the same amount I of movement.

2. In a loom, a lay, a shuttle box mov able with respect thereto, a plurality of members rotatably mounted with respect to the lay, spaced connections between said box and said members to cause rotation of the members when the box moves, means to cause said members torotate in unison, and means independent of the members to raise the box. a

3., In a loom, a lay, ashuttle box movable with respect thereto, a pair of spaced members mounted rotatably with respect to the lay and moving in unison, and means mov ing with the box and having operative connection with the rotating members to cause the same torotate when the box moves to give the ,7 box a straight line motion when the same is moved relatively to the lay.

4. In a loom, a lay, a pair of pinions moves with respect to the lay to give the box a straight line motion when the same is moved relatively to the lay.

5. In a loom, a lay, a shuttle box, guides on the lay, means to move the box with respect to the lay and in a direction parallel to the guides, and an equalizer independent of the guides and means to move the box effective to resist unequal movements of the ends of the box in a direction parallel to the guideswhereby both ends of the box are caused to move at the same rate.

6. In a loom, a lay, guides mounted on the lay, a shuttle box to be guided by the guides, means to move'the shuttle-box in the guides and means additional to the guides and independent of the means to move the box and exerting a restraining equal movements of the box with respect to the guides and lay.

7. In a loom, a lay, guides carried by the lay, a shuttle box having portions to cooperate with guides on the lay and a pair of cooperatingmembers adjacent each end of the box, one member of'each pair being mounted on the lay and the other member movingwith the box, means to connect said pairs of members together, the members of each pair coacting to exert a force in a direction parallel to the guides to resist unequal movement of the ends of the box.

8. In a loom, a lay, a shuttle box movable onthe lay in a given direction, means to move said box in the given direction and an equalizer independent of the means to move the box including a pair of elements adjacent each end of the box, certain of the elements being mounted on the lay and certain of them moving with the box, the coacting elements of each pair being effective to exert a force on the corresponding end of the box in a direction parallel to the given movement whereby unequal movement of the ends of the box is prevented.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature.

GEORGE F. HUTCHINS. 

